Replacement
by bobness
Summary: Ferdinand I isn't the most popular ruler that Austria's had. Secret Santa gift for Feynreina. Historically accurate.


**In which my old computer, Super Larry, breaks down and loses all of my writing.**

**Everyone, meet Benjamin Franklin, my new laptop. We'll be writing as much as we can, since I now have time and easier access to word documents and Internet. :3  
**

**Anyway, this here is a gift to Feynreina over on LJ. Merry (late) Christmas!  
**

* * *

He had heard all of the whispers, the rumors, the gossips. He might have held himself as a lofty man, he might have ignored what other nations had to say for the majority of the time, but even he wasn't deaf to the ever-lingering doubt in everyone's mind.

Mostly because he shared their thoughts.

He didn't want to, though. He wanted to be above the rest of them. After all, he was the mighty empire of Austria, stronger even than Prussia (though Prussia wasn't apt to admit it), more talented than France, and with a sharper mind than England. He couldn't have the same doubts that others had, because he was supposed to be smarter than they were. He was supposed to turn around and declare them all to be wrong.

He couldn't even bring himself to do that, though. He let them continue to talk, and he silently agreed with every word they had to say.

"Ferdinand isn't fit to be my president!"

Austria glanced over at an irate Prussia (as if Prussia ever looked happy to see him) and raised his eyebrows.

"What brought on this sudden outburst?" he asked, setting his violin aside. He, too, was angry, but that was mostly because he had been interrupted while composing a new piece.

Prussia snorted, stepping farther into the room. "Don't play stupid, Austria," he snapped, crimson eyes narrowed in a manner very much akin to disgust. "I know you've heard us all talking about him. You've yet to address the manner properly, of course, which is strange because 'proper' is your middle name." As if to prove his point, his gloved hand gestured up and down Austria's finely dressed body. "I mean, just take a look at yourself! Alone in an empty room, simply practicing the piano, and yet you look as if you were expecting some elite royalty to barge in at any moment." Before Austria could get a word in, Prussia added, "Unless you were expecting me, in which case, you're dressed too poorly."

When Prussia finally stopped talking, Austria sighed, shaking his head just slightly. "Unlike you, Prussia, I'm prepared for whatever may come."

"Well, in that case, why not go speak with your boss?" Prussia grinned. "You're dressed for it, and maybe you can relay everyone's concerns to him, you know?"

"I might be a country, and a powerful one at that-" Prussia snorted, but Austria ignored him and continued talking. "-but even I have no say over who my boss is."

Prussia clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "You normally don't, but this man is unable to rule. Surely you have some sort of influence over politics! I do understand you aren't as incredibly awesome as I am, but if people will listen to you, why don't you at least try?"

Austria glowered Prussia's way, still keeping his back rigid and straight, despite Prussia's slouched position. "What makes you think I wish to switch leaders, Prussia? I might be perfectly happy with what I have at the moment."

"You _might_ be, but you're not," Prussia quickly responded, giving Austria a smirk. "I know you better than anyone, Austria. You despise your boss as much as the rest of us do. Besides, even if you didn't, you're too observant to just let him go on with his ineffective rule. What about the revolutions in Hungary? He didn't know what the hell was going on. You're at _war _with her, and he doesn't know anything. To top it all off, whenever he tries addressing an issue, he has those crazy demon fits."

"They're called seizures, Prussia, and I expect you to be respectful of your president. He cannot control his situation any more than you can."

Prussia shrugged. "I might not be able to control it, but you can."

Austria scoffed, bristling with indignation. "I'm unable to control whether or not a man has a seizure, Prussia. While I'm very flattered that you think I can-"

"Dammit, Austria, just listen." With a roll of his eyes, Prussia explained himself better. "You can control whether or not this man is a ruler. You have the influence. People will listen to you. I highly doubt your politicians will heed any word I have to say, but you, you're the Kingdom of Austria. You house this man. They'll take what you have to say into account."

Austria stared at Prussia a good while, and Prussia stared right back. "Prussia," Austria slowly said. "I suggest you leave my house, for I'm in no mood to hear any talk such as this." When Prussia opened his mouth, Austria added, "I have guards that will come on my command, so-"

He didn't get any further in his sentence. Prussia lurched forward and grabbed Austria's cravat, his mouth set in a deep frown.

"I don't want to see my kingdom go to waste just because of some man who has fits and can't think straight to save his life. You'd best change your emperor."

"This is my best cravat, so I suggest you remove your hands," Austria responded, unwilling to address the larger issue at hand.

Prussia smirked. "How fitting, that you'd wear your very best clothes on a day that I choose to pay you a visit." However, he didn't heed Austria's suggestion. "You're going to do as I say. You're going to change your emperor."

Austria kept his mouth closed for a good three seconds before asking, "What if I refuse to do as you tell me?"

Releasing him, Prussia straightened out his own overcoat, fixing his collar, though it needed no fixing. Austria knew he was just messing with his clothes in an attempt to look far more threatening than he actually was.

Well, maybe he actually _was_ just a little threatening.

"If you refuse, if you don't at least try, I can assure you that you won't be feeling well after I get to you."

"Are you imposing war on me?" Austria asked with a small gasp. "That's ridiculous! Simply because my boss-"

"Shut up, you woman," Prussia growled. "I'm doing no such thing. Sure, if I had the money and supplies, I would wipe your ass out in a quick second. No, think of this warning as a man-to-man warning. Without your army behind you, Austria, you're a weakling. You choose to spend your days making music rather than strengthening these limp limbs of yours." He lifted one of Austria's hands, fingers digging into the rather expensive cuffs. "I can make life painful for you. I can."

Austria tore his arm out of Prussia's grasp, then turned his back on the other nation. "I will be considering all that you have said, Prussia. You will have my answer within the month."

Prussia groaned. "I suppose you and your prissy politicians would die if you tried doing it in less than a month, huh?" He shrugged and headed out of the room. "I expect things to go my way, silly Austria."

"And I wouldn't have expected different from you," Austria muttered.

Unfortunately, Prussia seemed to have heard that, and he stopped in the doorway, grinning over his shoulder. "Look at you, making jokes," he said in surprise. "I suppose if you randomly grew a sense of humor, you can also grow the guts to go speak with the courts."

Austria said nothing. He listened to Prussia walk away, the crackle of his laughter echoing down the hall as he went.

The very next day, Austria made it a point to meet with as many politicians as he could to discuss the new emperor.

* * *

"They're replacing me," Ferdinand muttered, staring down at his tea cup. "I haven't had much of a chance to rule."

Austria stayed silent, staring ahead at his boss, knowing in just one short day, there would be a new emperor. He couldn't say he was upset about the change. While Ferdinand was a pleasant enough fellow, while he was interesting to talk to, he wasn't a leader. He didn't deserve to lead a kingdom as great as Austria's kingdom.

"Maybe I should have been better informed with the revolutionaries," the man continued, scratching at his cheek. "It just confused me. They weren't allowed to do that."

Austria felt himself stiffen. "Of course they weren't," he responded. "Your job is to lay down the law, to stop things like this from happening."

He didn't say the next sentence, for both of them were thinking it; _but he didn't stop anything._

Ferdinand swallowed and nodded. "My wife and I, we...we wish to move."

Austria rolled his eyes. "Obviously, you can no longer live in a palace that doesn't rightfully belong to you."

His boss' face fell slightly. "Yes," the man mumbled, and Austria felt a pain strike through his heart. The man hadn't known any better. It was clear that his mental state was very frail, and he hadn't known how to lead.

"If it's any consolation to you," Austria said, clearing his throat. "You never were a ruler. The government acted on it's own. You've always been unfit to rule."

He didn't realize how harsh that sounded until Ferdinand winced. "I tried," the man mumbled pitifully.

"You threw a fit once when dumplings were out of season," Austria pointed out.

Ferdinand's head hung even lower. "I didn't know what being an emperor was truly like."

"Clearly." Austria took a sip of his tea before setting it down and returning to business. "Your nephew will be taking your place starting tomorrow. I expect that you won't put up much of a fuss as you did with your dumplings."

The man let out a slight chuckle at that. "No," he mumbled. "No, that's fine. I just wish it was my own son."

"You don't have a son."

"I wish I had one, then." Ferdinand sighed. "We tried. Maria and I, we did try for a son, but what with the way I have seizures every so-"

"If you were able to learn anything from your time as emperor, I had hoped you would learn what is appropriate for conversations and what isn't," Austria muttered, praying that his cheeks weren't as red as they felt. "Because that certainly isn't appropriate conversation material."

The emperor cleared his throat. "Yes, of course, accept my apologies."

"Readily."

They sat in silence then, Austria shifting uncomfortably in his seat. He shouldn't have chosen his tightest waistcoat. He wished he was more like Prussia, able to wear such loose, common clothing and still look incredibly dashing all the while. As it was, though, he had long since learned to wear the most expensive and extravagant clothing he could manage without completely dying of suffocation to make an impression on people.

Why he was making an impression on a man that he was helping kick out of office, he knew not.

"What shall you do after this is over?" Austria asked, wanting very much to make small-talk with the man he knew he would probably never see after this day. It wouldn't do good to just kick him out of the palace and leave it at that. Austria was every bit a gentleman as England was, and he wanted to prove that.

Ferdinand smiled fondly over at Austria, looking pleased to be on a better topic. "My wife and I plan to move to Prague. I've always been most comfortable in Bohemia, anyway, as my sympathies lie with them."

"They do seem to like you," Austria commented, remembering the Czech nickname that had been given to their king. "So I suppose this is for the best."

The emperor laughed. "Yes, yes, I do suppose it is," he replied.

"Hopefully, they'll have plenty of dumplings for you."

Ferdinand stared at Austria for a few seconds before grinning widely, his eyes crinkling at the edges. "That's funny," he stated. "I don't believe I've ever heard you say something funny like that before."

Austria didn't have the heart to tell him that it was actually sarcasm that he had learned from England. It was better if the man chose to view it as funny. Instead, he stood, feeling just a tad bit of relief from his tight waistcoat. "I suppose, then, the last we'll see of each other is tomorrow."

Ferdinand kept seated, still smiling up at his nation. "I suppose it is. But look at me sitting here! I'm impressed a fit hasn't claimed my body just yet. I guess it wanted me to finish talking with you. Isn't that correct?"

"How am I to know?" Austria grabbed his cape and gave a short nod to Ferdinand. "Good day, good night, and goodbye, Ferdinand." Before he completely walked out, he added, "The Czechs are right; you're a very good man. Not a good leader, but a very good man."

That was the last he saw of Ferdinand. He chose not to be at the ceremony when Franz Joseph was crowned emperor. He would have all the time in the world to greet his new boss, who would probably be busy greeting other people.

He never did regret his choice. Even if he felt bad for what he had done, he knew it was for the betterment of his kingdom. He hoped Ferdinand knew that, too.

For Ferdinand really was a good man.

* * *

**Why, yes, this is one of my first times writing as Austria, how ever did you guess?  
**

**Sucky ending sucks, I apologize.  
**


End file.
